Non-traditional application: The prodigal son returns!

[inpariswithyou]

Some background: I'm an early-thirties guy with a B.A. in English (2005), half a master's in English (2006), and an MLIS (2008). I did quite well in school -- 3.89 GPA for undergrad, 4.00 for the MLIS.

Currently, I'm working as a web developer full-time and as a part-time instructor (in the comp/sci department) at a local community college. The thing is, though, that my real passion is literature, and I've tried to let go of the idea of getting a Ph.D. in English literature, but it's not working. I want to do it.

I decided today that I'm going to do it -- or at least try. I'm intending to apply this fall to several English lit programs -- Ohio State, CMU, Pitt, maybe PSU. And I'm basically freaking out.

I have published a little -- nothing critical, just creative, a few short stories, a poem, and a forthcoming novel in May -- and as I said I do teach, but I haven't been in academia for almost a decade! Where do I get recommendations? I cant possibly ask professors I haven't seen in ten years, and even if I could, how useful would they be? I took a few community college courses, and I have supervisors at both jobs who could write, but... will those computer-science-related recs have a positive effect on an English program application?

And what about a writing sample? Do I use one of my critical essays from my undergrad/half a masters in English? I would of course revise it, if not completely rewrite it, but still... very old. Or do I try to write something new, with no academic advising, no real resources, etc.? (I live in a very small town -- the local college doesn't even subscribe to the OED!)

I know people leave academia and go back to it all the time -- they must, right?!? -- and yet I feel incredibly lost and clueless.

Advice? Words of encouragement? Thoughts

[DBear]

English Lit really isn't the most welcoming discipline when it comes to non-traditional students. I don't think it's impossible, but it won't be easy. I left academia and came back - but when I approached my old undergrad lit professor about getting a phd in Lit, he suggested I complete a MA first to get my feet wet. Not all schools are like this, but many don't really give you a lot of credit for creative, not-critical-work so I thought I'd use the MA to get a writing sample ready (from either a seminar paper or my thesis).  

Long story short, I ended up realizing that the barrier to entry was really high and that I actually wanted to pursue something else so I ended up applying for PhD programs in rhetoric (in Communication studies). I don't want to be discouraging, but it seems you already know what is working against you. You'd need to do quite a bit to compensate - like me getting a second MA at 34 - that was my way of compensating for having no one from English Lit to write me a letter + having no academic writing sample + just not knowing what English PhD programs want. 

PM me if you'd like more thoughts but I feel like I'm being a bit of wet blanket here so I'll wrap up.

[inpariswithyou]

I thought about doing a master's in English first, but it seems like most of the places I'd like to go do a joint MA/PhD program rather than a separate MA... so I wasn't sure about that.

It is a pretty bleak outlook for me, I'm afraid. I tried a few years back, after I finished my MLIS, and I only got one or two acceptances, with no funding, to "alternative" programs, so I opted not to go. I can't shake that urge to get it, though, and I'm afraid if I don't at least try, I'll never get rid of it!

[inpariswithyou]

I should also point out that I considered looking into GLBT studies in particular, since that's really where my research interests lie, but I didn't find very many programs at all, and those I did seemed focused more towards counseling/etc. and I'm interested more in the research aspect.

[DBear]

@inpariswithyou 

5 hours ago, inpariswithyou said:

I should also point out that I considered looking into GLBT studies in particular, since that's really where my research interests lie, but I didn't find very many programs at all, and those I did seemed focused more towards counseling/etc. and I'm interested more in the research aspect.

With this in mind, I want to just say that you should keep an open mind about which program. I was soooo dead set on English Lit for so long that I ignored all the signs that it may not be the best program for me to pursue my interests. I thought Eng Lit was the thing for me because I liked it most in undergrad and I excelled in it then. So I went back for a MA in Eng lit 10 years after graduating from undergrad. It took a professor telling me point blank that I didn't really stand out among the budding Eng Lit scholars and perhaps I should look into rhetoric. So I started there and ended up looking at rhetoric programs within various English departments and then moving to rhetoric programs in Communication. When I looked at English dept websites and faculty interests, I ended up thinking "huh, would I be able to make it here?" "seems interesting, but not really my cup of tea" and I had a really hard time finding an English program that really excited me. On the other hand, with communication, I was SUPER excited. And a lot of Communication programs are humanities leaning (the POI at the program I'm considering now has a phd in English) and do look at literary texts as well as various phenomenology so... there's that. With your stated interests, I'd suggest looking at U of Iowa Communication Studies, Ohio University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Mass Amherst.... there are A LOT. I've been where you're at - really focused on English Lit and wanting to pursue that, but after realizing that I could do what I wanted and feel more welcome somewhere else, things just got a lot easier. I've also found that Comm Studies programs are much more open to take in people with diverse backgrounds. I have a MA in Enviro policy and a MA in English Lit and still got into several programs (with funding). So keep your eyes open. If you have come across any interesting scholarly articles about your area of interest, look at where the author is teaching or was trained  - this may provide some direction. 

If you want to do a phd - go for it - you can do it! Just don't pigeonhole yourself based on interests that may have shifted after undergrad. 

[meep95]

On 2/15/2017 at 5:56 PM, inpariswithyou said:

I should also point out that I considered looking into GLBT studies in particular, since that's really where my research interests lie, but I didn't find very many programs at all, and those I did seemed focused more towards counseling/etc. and I'm interested more in the research aspect.

I have a professor at my school who teaches a lot of LGBT studies classes, and she has her PhD in History. She just focused her research on that area in particular. Its different than English for sure, but something to look into maybe